Rita Enemuru, Reporting
A British court has acquitted Diezani Alison‑Madueke, Nigeria’s former petroleum minister and the first woman to serve as president of OPEC, of six bribery charges brought by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
The verdict, delivered at Southwark Crown Court in London, brings to a close a trial that lasted five months and followed an investigation into alleged offences between 2011 and 2015. Ms Alison‑Madueke, who was Nigeria’s oil minister from 2010 to 2015, had consistently denied the accusations.
Prosecutors alleged that she accepted “financial or other advantages” from individuals linked to two energy companies that secured contracts with the state‑owned Nigerian Petroleum Corporation during her tenure.
They painted a picture of a “life of luxury” – chauffeur‑driven cars, a private jet flight to Nigeria, and lavish refurbishment work and staffing costs at several London properties – all funded by those seeking lucrative oil and gas deals.
However, the defence argued that the case was fatally undermined by a “gross delay” in bringing the charges, which, according to lead defence counsel Jonathan Laidlaw, resulted in “a great deal of material which would have established her innocence” being irretrievably lost.
The court heard that records had “disappeared” and that Ms Alison‑Madueke could not access her papers in Nigeria because British police had retained her passport since her first arrest 11 years ago.
In a statement released after the verdict, Mr Laidlaw confirmed that his client had been cleared of all counts.
“Diezani Alison‑Madueke was cleared of six charges of bribery at Southwark Crown Court on 17 June 2026, after a five‑month trial,” he said.
Ms Alison‑Madueke has been on bail in Britain since her initial arrest in October 2015.
She was formally charged in 2023, and the prosecution noted that she had a British address at the time of the alleged offences.
The case is one of several legal battles the former minister has faced worldwide, including proceedings in the United States.
Wednesday’s acquittal brings a significant chapter in her long‑running legal saga to a close.
